The Girl with All the Gifts

Tags

2010's, Colm McCarthy, Drama, Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, Horror, Paddy Considine, Sennia Nanua, The Girl with All the Gifts

A horror drama with ethical and provocative questions at its core, The Girl with All the Gifts finds new life in the zombie horror genre with fine acting, scares and a surprising intelligence.

Some time in the future, most of mankind has been overrun by a virulent fungal disease that turns the sufferer into a flesh craving zombie. These people are known as “hungries” by others. In a secret underground army base, a second generation of these creatures in the form of young children are taught. Unlike their savage relatives, these kids can think and learn, but also have a craving for flesh. Humans have a certain blocker gel that masks the smell of human flesh, but that is still no long term guarantee. The story mainly focuses on one such child known as Melanie( Sennia Nanua), who is immensely gifted, polite and eager to learn. The growling Sergeant Parks( Paddy Considine) keeps things running in a brusque way, while head scientist Dr. Caroline Caldwell( Glenn Close)experiments on the zombie children in a search for a cure to the disease. Although most see the children as just mere monsters, teacher Helen Justineau( Gemma Arterton) treats them with respect and compassion which puts her in opposition with both. Just as Dr. Caldwell is making some breakthrough, the facility is attacked by hungries. In the confusion, Melanie, Justineau, Caldwell and Parks survive and head for what they hope will be safety. But as tensions mount and Melanie is fought over, it becomes clear that there is no easy answer to what’s going on. But is Melanie the salvation of destruction of mankind in the grand scheme of things? And just how long is she to be trusted as the world around her crumbles and slips into a worse state than it already is?

Colm McCarthy is a director who clearly wants to bring that something different to the zombie horror sub genre. And that he does with this film that is both eerily tense and reflective on thematic material. I like how things start out mysterious and gradually we begin to understand the horrifying vision of the future. And once it hits the half an hour mark, intensity reigns and the pace quickens considerably backing up the horror credentials. One can make successful parallels with 28 Days Later and with good reason, for both are exemplary entries into zombie horror with more on its mind than just action and blood. Not that there isn’t action or blood as is envisioned in kinetic style and blood soaked horror, like the standout sequence of the hungries attaching the facility with a ferocity akin to a war movie. These events sit nicely along with the deeper thematic value of the piece. Considering The Girl with All the Gifts wasn’t made with the biggest budget, it never shows as it’s a gorgeously and hauntingly visual film. This extends particularly to its version of London, one in which overgrown plant life has taken over like a vicious jungle of vines that will prove fatal to those who can’t survive. And lets just say there is plenty of meat to chew over( pardon the pun.) The battle between good and evil is blurred considerably and admirably. No one is clear cut bad or good, least of all the eponymous Girl who is a mixture of both. The Girl with All the Gifts asks us to feel sympathy for her but like most of the characters, keep a certain sense of worry about her true nature and whether it’s just a matter of fate that she becomes rabid. In fact, there’s a certain tragedy attached to Melanie. You witness that she wishes to be like everyone else but is cursed from it, Some might say some of it is typical zombie fare and while there are going to be some cliched moments in here( no one said it was flawless), but what the film accomplishes is something with more heart and smarts than your average flick in this genre. A shimmering and reverberating score should rightfully be praised. It hums and throbs with an alarming intensity and haunting aura.

As the titular Girl, Sennia Nanua is a revelation in her first main role. For such a young actress acting alongside more seasoned co-stars, Nanua shows no sign of nerves and turns in a layered performance that is at once sympathetic and menacing. And what a cast it is. Gemma Arterton, of pleasing, warm face and expressive eyes, beautifully portrays the teacher who treats her charges as if they were just average children. In her eyes, although they are dangerous, they still matter and it is a fine.y judged, emotional performance from Gemma Arterton. Glenn Close( a superb actress of the highest order) is once more on amazing form as the ruthlessly determined scientist who seems heartless but possesses some care within her. Close doesn’t make her a villain and although she’s questionable as a character, it’s that flawed nature that Close gets across so well. Paddy Considine is on hand for sarcastic, aggressive lines and action as the skilled soldier navigating a crew of at odds survivors through a hellish London.

A chilling, thrilling but also deep examination of moral dilemmas set against a world gone mad, The Girl with All the Gifts discovers inventive and astute ways to blend post-apocalyptic horror and sensitive drama about ethical and ambiguous questions on humanity, science and the complex link between good and evil.

The Big Chill

Tags

1980's, Comedy, Drama, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, JoBeth Williams, Kevin Kline, Lawrence Kasdan, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, The Big Chill, Tom Berenger, William Hurt

Film Title

The Big Chill

Director

Lawrence Kasdan

Starring

• Kevin Kline as Harold Cooper
• Glenn Close as Sarah Cooper
• Jeff Goldblum as Michael
• Tom Berenger as Sam Weber
• William Hurt as Nick
• Mary Kay Place as Meg
• JoBeth Williams as Karen
• Meg Tilly as Chloe

A seriocomic drama about reflection on the past, the difference in generations and loss, The Big Chill is a highly resonant and extremely well written film from Lawrence Kasdan. He is aided by a fine cast that do wonderful work in this look at how times change and we can feel adrift in the world that doesn’t hold the promise it did when you were younger.

A group of former friends from college in the 60’s are reunited unexpectedly years later when one of them, the much talked about and promising Alex, commits suicide. The group is made up of married couple Harold and Sarah Cooper, disillusioned television star Sam Weber, unfulfilled attorney Meg, slightly lecherous journalist Michael, Vietnam Vet and pill-popping Nick and unhappy housewife Karen. They haven’t seen each other since their heady days in college and the funeral of Alex brings them back together under dark circumstances. The wake is held at Harold and Sarah’s vacation house in South Carolina. The main people of the group, who don’t know how to deal with the suicide of Alex, stay over the weekend along with Chloe, the much younger girlfriend of the deceased. During the course of the days, the one time close-knit faction are found to be laying bare their secrets, reminiscing on the past and attempting to fathom why Alex killed himself. The big thing that hovers over them all is that lingering sensation that the best years of their lives have passed them by and their vibrant dreams of youth have gone up in smoke. Various little dramas come to light again, like Meg wanting to desperately have a child as she feels her biological clock is ticking and Karen dealing with her unresolved feelings for Sam. Throughout the time together, thrashing out their differences and opening old wounds, they are left to ponder and work out just what to do with their lives, along with whether they can rectify what eludes them and unearth how much Alex’s death has impacted on them.

Lawrence Kasdan fashions a heartfelt yet perceptive evocation of people dealing with responsibilities and thinking back on how much they changed since college. The script that he wrote, along with Barbara Benedek, invests The Big Chill with a quick wit and revealing nature, that benefits the struggles and issues the group go through. They all feel at sea in the materialistic 80’s, when all they crave is the feeling of life and hope that the 60’s gave them being baby boomers. The plot largely revolves around the group discussing their problems, reminiscing of the good old days, smoking pot and wondering where the time has gone. Some may find that idea more than a little boring, but The Big Chill is the total opposite because of the amount of personal feeling injects do into it. You really get to relate to the characters and what they’re going through, even if they don’t know how best to deal with grief and a sense of something missing. It’s one of those things that is universal for everyone; the knowledge that life is different from how you expected and hasn’t taken the path you wanted. Thankfully as tinged with melancholy as The Big Chill is, there is a balance it strikes with quick humour long the way. The film, like the characters goes between laughs and tears, with an unexpected clarity and wisdom that shines through. Even if some of it feels a tad simplistic, the warmth and depth of the piece are always in evidence. The soundtrack is one of the best parts of the movie, recalling the youth of the characters with Motown hits and 60’s grooves. Music plays a very integral role for all of the group and also the audience, as music holds a special place undoubtedly for all of us with the wistful memories it can evoke. The opening sequence is a masterful example of combining music with telling a story. In it, each of the group receives the news and we catch glimpses of how they react, as the sound of Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ plays in the background.

The Big Chill boasts a simply star-studded cast that are given a moving and frequently funny script to work with and deliver natural, unaffected performances in the process. This is a beautiful ensemble of acting that allows everyone a chance to shine. Kevin Kline is very good as the amiable joker Harold, who has his own deliberations to deal with along the way. Glenn Close beautifully supplies a nuanced turn as the earth mother and good listener, who attempts to keep everyone and herself together and not fall apart. The typically sardonic personality of Jeff Goldblum covers the seedy journalist character, while Tom Berenger sells the feeling of alienation that fame has brought him over the years. William Hurt is on lugubrious form as an overly cynical and morbid man whose life is like an empty shell and needs some lightness to brighten it. Mary Kay Place has the right amount of humour and pathos to bring Meg’s need for a child to life, complimented by some wily observations. Rounding out the main group of reunited friends is JoBeth Williams. She quietly but noticeably gets across the aching want for some love that her character finds has missed her, and there is a real tenderness to her pining for Sam. Meg Tilly, as the youngest member of the cast and most youthful character, has a boundless and quirky energy of a girl who doesn’t react to death the way you’d think. Her character is mainly a symbol of the exuberance and wistfulness of being young and idealistic, that the group is wrestling with the knowledge that they aren’t anymore. The whole cast works convincingly together, selling the fact that their friendship despite the years remains quite intact and there to be rediscovered over the weekend of rumination.

A nostalgic as well as very honest depiction of bittersweet grappling with all sorts of change and facing up to the different ways that life affects us, The Big Chill still has a large impact of being moving and amusing. This is largely thanks to the splendid direction, script and cast that make the experience really something.

Happy Birthday Glenn Close

Tags

Glenn Close, Happy Birthday

Sensational and highly talented Glenn Close turns 70 today. I have always admired her acting abilities and how easily she slips between characters. From being so calculating and frightening in some movies to being sympathetic and motherly in others, Close does it all and always convincingly. I can’t think of a single bad performance she’s given, which says a lot about her talent. So happy birthday Glenn Close, you’re a real legend.

Jagged Edge

Tags

1980's, Glenn Close, Jagged Edge, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, Richard Marquand, Robert Loggia, Thriller

Film Title

Jagged Edge

Director

Richard Marquand

Starring

• Glenn Close as Teddy Barnes
• Jeff Bridges as Jack Forrester
• Peter Coyote as Thomas Krasny
• Robert Loggia as Sam Ransom

A solid thriller with dashes of courtroom drama added to the proceedings, Jagged Edge is entertaining and does keep you guessing. It may not be the most original thriller out there and you may have to suspend disbelief, but it’s worth checking out if you want to be on your toes and intrigued by a good many shocks and reveals.

On a dark, stormy night in San Francisco, beautiful socialite Paige Forrester is brutally murdered in her beach house by a masked assailant, who also butchers her maid with a hunting knife sporting a serrated edge. Her handsome husband Jack, who is also her business partner at the newspaper she owns, claims that he was knocked unconscious and woke up to find his wife dead. Slimy District Attorney Thomas Krasny doesn’t buy Jack’s story and based on circumstantial evidence that points directly to Jack, he arrests him. The high-profile case will soon go to court and leading up to this, Jack tries to hire former lawyer Teddy Barnes to represent him. Teddy quit her job years before after working with Krasny on a case where she later found out he withheld evidence that would have exonerated the man who went to prison. She is haunted by the knowledge that the client hanged himself in prison and feels a sense shame for what happened, leading her to reconsider taking the case for Jack as a way to atone for her crisis in ethics. Teddy agrees to meet Jack and after reluctance, she steps back into the lawyer ring once again as she believes he is innocent. The case brings her face to face with Krasny once more and you can feel that Teddy wants to do the case to make up for the guilt she has and to take on Krasny again, who is the prosecution. In the meantime, despite it being against her better judgement, Teddy falls for Jack and engages in an affair. She builds a case for Jack, with the help from her old mentor Sam Ransom, a former private investigator whose lost known of his wily intuition. As the count case gets under way and certain things are aired, Teddy is left to consider where she stands on Jack’s claims of innocence , and whether she is in too deep.

The direction from Richard Marquand is crisp, slick and confident; allowing time to toss in clues and play with perceptions to a high degree. Speaking of that, the whole idea of what may or not be is what really drives the plot of Jagged Edge along. With strong direction and a tightly constructed script from Joe Eszterhas, the possibility of Jack being a murderer or being innocent are both very plausible. This leads to an up and down in whether we, as well as Teddy can trust him, most of all her considering the feelings she develops for him that could cloud her judgement if she isn’t careful. And though the familiarity of the script is there, largely because Eszterhas would use the blue print of it for the later film Basic Instinct, but a good deal of tension and handsome attention to character allows it to hold up considerably. It’s in the courtroom drama and ensuing scenes of that ilk that Jagged Edge truly comes alive, with exciting misdirection and possible revelations pulling the rug out from under you and getting us to question our own beliefs on whether Jack really could have carried out such a brutal slaying. There is something even old-fashioned about Jagged Edge, especially in the court scenes and the investigation, that brings a certain level of sophistication to the table. Jagged Edge does have its moments of not being as smooth as it would like to be and you do have to take a leap of faith sometimes. The biggest one being how quickly Teddy falls for Jack, though the stars sell the romance and it thankfully doesn’t become too outrageous to be true. If anything, the ensuing romance deepens the film, despite the quickness, and makes Teddy more of a rounded character in the process because of how the case takes on a personal tone for her. A few plot holes and inconsistencies here and there can be seen, but the slick package of Jagged Edge redeems them with airs of well-crafted mystery and nifty surprise. John Barry does the score which mixes his command of flowing orchestra with the electronic, for something unusual but very atmospheric. I wouldn’t say it’s the best score from John Barry, but even not at the top of the game Barry is ten times better than most composers.

Heading the cast is the ever fantastic Glenn Close. She excels at showing the sharp and passionate mind of Teddy as she is drawn back to the profession she renounced and also her vulnerability at being susceptible to the charms of Jack. The character’s actions are sometimes questionable, but Close finds a wealth of emotion and indecision within Teddy that reveals that while she is a lawyer, she is also a human being. It’s safe to say that the sensitivity and strength of the part as she grapples with conflicting ideas and possibly dangerous dilemmas, that are wonderfully acted by the ever talented Glenn Close, who is splendid as always. The nice guy image that Jeff Bridges is known for is excellently subverted here, with a clouded sense of enigma over his charisma that really gets you to consider the character’s true nature. If it seems that Bridges is holding back a lot, it actually comes in handy as Jack is someone you never know if you can really trust or not. Could his charm be a mask? Or is he genuinely innocent of the crime he stands accused of? The deliberate and ideal use of keeping everything under wraps is remarkably acted by Jeff Bridges, who nails the two very different possibilities of the man. It’s a testament to the talents of Bridges that you feel you might know the character, then something comes up that suggests a possibly different angle on him. Peter Coyote provides slippery support as the nasty DA, with eyes on bigger things, who is anything but by the book and will step on anyone to get where he’s going. Coyote sells the smug arrogance of the character, though it is fun to watch his ego take a blow in court when he is left squirming by Teddy’s put downs. Stealing the time he has on screen is the fun of Robert Loggia as the gumshoe helping Teddy. His hard-boiled yet good-hearted exchanges with her, complete with foul language and salty humour of a 40’s style noir hero, are a delight to watch and Loggia really makes a mark whenever he appears.

It’s not going to go down as the best thriller ever crafted and there are some holes in the film, but the overall presentation and execution of Jagged Edge retains the interest and the positives largely rise above the negatives, due to a high level of mystery. Tension and drama are there and are what raises Jagged Edge to an effective level of thriller, along with the work from the cast that makes it a thoroughly exciting watch of suspense.

Fatal Attraction

Tags

1980's, Adrian Lyne, Anne Archer, Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Thriller

Film Title

Fatal Attraction

Director

Adrian Lyne

Starring

• Michael Douglas as Dan Gallagher
• Glenn Close as Alex Forrest
• Anne Archer as Beth Gallagher

A torrid affair has terrifying repercussions for a lawyer when the other woman won’t let go in Fatal Attraction, a suitably infamous thriller that deeply unsettles and disturbs. Infidelity and obsession combine in this well-acted and frightening tale of a woman’s scorn.

Dan Gallagher is a young lawyer who has a beautiful wife Beth and a young daughter Ellen. He first meets the intriguing Alex Forrest at a book event, and though attracted to one another, he is unavailable. But when Beth goes away for the weekend, temptation gets the better of Dan and he engages in a steamy fling with Alex. Dan then wants to go back to his family and it is here when he first gets the idea that Alex is not going to let him go when she slits her wrists. After helping her clean her wounds, he returns to his family, yet Dan soon finds his life turned upside down by Alex. She incessantly calls him at work, she throws acid on his car, sends him a chilling tape detailing her love for him and famously kills the family’s pet rabbit( spawning the term bunny boiler in the process). It becomes very clear to Dan that Alex has now become obsessed with him and won’t take no for an answer. Terrified, he tries to smooth things over but Alex’s campaign of terror is only just beginning and she won’t stop until every obstacle is out of the way. What began as a fling morphs into a nightmare for Dan as the spurned and unstable Alex refuses to let go of that weekend and will go to the most extreme lengths to destroy everything in Dan’s life, including his family.

Director Adrian Lyne contributes a steamy and suspenseful atmosphere through his crisp direction that highlights the heat of the affair and later the increasingly disturbed and insidious ways that Alex takes revenge on Dan. It’s all about the build up in Fatal Attraction, as we witness Dan’s family life, the affair and slowly but surely the obsessions of Alex. This is chilling to watch as it started out so simple and then became very complicated as the terrified Dan comes to see that his mistake is coming back to bite him. Fatal Attraction contains many moments of suspense and terror, most notably Alex sitting alone flicking the light switch on and off as her eyes become catatonic and when she follows Dan who is listening to her bone-chilling message about how she isn’t going to let him get away with leaving her. The unnerving atmosphere is held up very well and only loses it in the finale which goes overboard but still emerges as tense and creepy. An electronic score excellently backs up the realization of Dan that Alex is very dangerous indeed and that he is not going to escape her campaign of terror on his life.

Michael Douglas excellently portrays Dan as a man who has had his fun and now wants to leave, but witnessing that this isn’t going to happen. By turns sympathetic and unsympathetic, Douglas gives his all as Dan becomes more terrified at the prospect of what his fling will cause. Glenn Close is the standout performer here, rightfully seen as iconic in this role. Exhibiting rage, obsession and terrifying intensity, Close knocks it out of the park and really becomes a frightening embodiment of a woman scorned acting out her anger. What really makes it such a great performance is the subtlety that it builds with. Alex in the beginning seems like a rational and flirty person with nothing sinister about her. But after Dan’s dismissal of her, the fury begins to emerge and Close reaches chilling heights displaying the anguish and warped mind of this woman. Anne Archer brings her great credentials to the supporting role of Dan’s wronged wife Beth, who is left reeling by his affair but who is willing to protect her family nonetheless.

A lurid and unnerving thriller if ever there was one, Fatal Attractions still remains sinister viewing.

Hamlet(1990)

Tags

1990's, Alan Bates, Franco Zeffirelli, Glenn Close, Hamlet, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, Mel Gibson, Nathaniel Parker, Paul Scofield, Stephen Dillane, Tragedy, William Shakespeare

Film Title

Hamlet

Director

Franco Zeffirelli

Starring

• Mel Gibson as Prince Hamlet
• Glenn Close as Queen Gertrude
• Alan Bates as King Claudius
• Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia
• Ian Holm as Polonius
• Paul Scofield as the ghost of King Hamlet
• Stephen Dillane as Horatio
• Nathaniel Parker as Laertes

In this adaptation of the classic William  Shakespeare tragedy, Franco Zeffirelli assembles an unexpected but engaging cast and directs with vigour and atmospheric skill in an attempt to show an individuality from other versions of the play. And he certainly does a good job of it.

The film begins with the funeral of Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark. Hamlet’s mother Gertrude is saddened but seems a little too close to her late husband’s brother Claudius. Surely enough, the two marry soon after and Claudius becomes king. The young Prince Hamlet is puzzled by this courtship at first, but information regarding the sudden remarriage soon comes his way in eerie fashion. One night after hearing from his trusted friend Horatio that an apparition has been wandering around the castle at night, he is visited by the ghost of his father, who informs him that he was murdered by Claudius so he could take the throne. Hamlet swears revenge on his uncle and descends into madness as he attempts to complete the murderous task.

The first thing to note in Hamlet is the visual style. Dark and hushed shades of blue over the castle, which are juxtaposed with glaring images of sun capture the themes of life and death and the complementary nature of each. The camerawork is stunning as it glides around the surroundings and quite often nestles close to a character, this technique is especially useful and full of impact when Hamlet delivers monologues. Ennio Morricone provides the atmospheric and melancholy music, giving Hamlet a gloomy and suspenseful edge. What many purists will take issue with is the removal of certain parts of dialogue and the transference of certain pieces into different scenes. Yet, with this the film has a strong pace and in some ways makes it more accessible to those unfamiliar with the play. Only at certain times does the removal of parts of dialogue cause Hamlet to lose its way.

Heading the cast is Mel Gibson as Hamlet. At first I wasn’t sure that Gibson would fit the role of Hamlet, but surprisingly he makes the role his own. He contributes vigor, sadness and madness to the part as Hamlet becomes more vengeful and his delivery of dialogue is excellent. Unlike many who portray Hamlet as constantly brooding, Gibson has more fun with the role by adding intelligence and a playful smile which eventually gives way to sinister grins . Glenn Close is effectively cast as Gertrude who changes from grieving widow into a sexually liberated woman after marrying Claudius. The scenes between Close and Gibson are interesting to watch because of the ambiguous nature of their relationship. This unusual examination of mother-son relations adds dimension to the story and adds an edge to the classic piece by giving it more dramatic prominence. Alan Bates makes for a quietly villainous Claudius, whose scheming is masked by a courteous exterior. Helena Bonham Carter brings deep sadness to the role of the tragic Ophelia, whose treatment at the hands of Hamlet sends her spiralling out of control. The sight of her bare foot, chanting old love songs with wild eyes and mournful voice whilst wandering around the castle is a chilling sight to behold. Ian Holm makes for an intelligent Polonius, while Paul Scofield gives wisdom to the part of the King’s ghost. In supporting roles, Stephen Dillane and Nathaniel Parker are wonderfully effective in the parts of Horatio and Laertes.

Liberties taken with the text aside, Zeffirelli makes a vigorous movie of Hamlet that adds another spin to the classic tragedy.

Cookie’s Fortune

Tags

1990's, Charles S. Dutton, Chris O'Donnell, Comedy, Cookie's Fortune, Drama, Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Ned Beatty, Patricia Neal, Robert Altman

Film Title

Cookie’s Fortune

Director

Robert Altman

Cast

• Glenn Close as Camille Dixon
• Julianne Moore as Cora Duvall
• Liv Tyler as Emma Duvall
• Chris O’Donnell as Jason Brown
• Charles S. Dutton as Willis Richland
• Patricia Neal as Jewel Mae “Cookie” Orcutt
• Ned Beatty as Lester Boyle

Brimming with engaging characters and laced with an eccentric humour, Cookie’s Fortune continues to show Robert Altman’s deft skill with talented ensemble casts. Focusing on the effects of an old woman’s suicide on the many eccentric people in her life, this yarn boasts off-kilter humour and bittersweet drama in equal measure.

Jewel Mae or Cookie as she is often called is the no-nonsense, ageing resident in the quiet town of Holly Springs, Mississippi. For years she has missed her husband and has pined for his presence in her life. She lives in an old but grand house with loyal handyman and best friend Willis Richland. Also living in the town are Cookie’s nieces, Camille and Cora. The sisters are polar opposites; Camille is a domineering, overly dramatic woman and Cora is naive and easily led by everything her sister says. Also arriving in town is Cora’s daughter Emma, a rebellious teenager who genuinely cares for her aunt and is engaged in an on-off relationship with a comically inept cop called Jason. Cookie decides it is time she joined her late husband and plans her own suicide by shooting herself as Easter approaches. After going through with it, she is found by Camille, who is presiding over the Easter performance of Salome. The already highly strung madam destroys the evidence of a suicide attempt and tries to make it look like the old woman was murdered. The reasons for this are Camille’s opinion that it will shame her family’s name and more prominently her desire to inherit the riches of the woman. After convincing Cora to help her, the police begin to investigate. The blame falls upon the kind Willis, but Emma is not so convinced by it and sets out to unearth the truth. As skeletons begin to rattle and secrets rise to the surface, dark humour is found in Camille’s desperate attempts to avoid being found out. Touching moments also appear as we watch Emma try to save her friend from imprisonment. As usual, Robert Altman keeps the story ticking over with an eccentric ensemble cast, bittersweet revelations and a darkly comic undertone.

Although dealing with crime and accusations of murder, there is an almost breezy lightness and playfulness that pervades the film and keeps the drama and humour excellently intertwined and convincing. It may be said that it is one of Altman’s most accessible films, mainly because it focuses on the ensemble cast but doesn’t feature the cross-cutting between too many characters that his other films do very effectively but can also confuse viewers. The cast is the main reason to watch Cookie’s Fortune. Most of the humour comes from moments in Glenn Close’s theatrical and hysterical performance, such as the side-splitting moment in which she elaborately plans the way the “murderer” would have entered the house. Ably Supporting her is Julianne Moore in full on quirky mode as the subservient and odd Cora. Liv Tyler is impressive as the rebellious outcast Emma, capturing her youthful, spunky spirit and sullen disdain for her hypocritical aunt. Chris O’Donnell is a hoot as Jason, the inept and inexperienced cop who woos Emma. Charles S. Dutton has one of the best roles, exuding subtle emotions as the fiercely loyal handyman Willis, who out of most of the people actually cared for the old Cookie. In the small but pivotal role as the eponymous Cookie, Patricia Neal is superbly cast. It is through her character that every event unravels and the various deceit and lies come to the forefront of the plot. Rounding out the impressively assembled cast is Ned Beatty as the head cop who uses fishing as a philosophy for life and what happens in it. Credit must go to the screenplay for injecting the oddball sense of humour that punctuates into the narrative. The simple but well-chosen bluegrass and jazz soundtrack adds to the Southern atmosphere of this crime comedy drama.

In my opinion, Cookie’s Fortune is a neglected gem in Altman’s canon. If it’s an oddball comedy filled with drama and finely drawn characters that you want to see, Cookie’s Fortune is a certain safe bet.

Best last shots of a movie Part 1

Tags

Best, Cate Blanchett, Dangerous Liaisons, Danvers, Elizabeth, Glenn Close, Hitchcock, Joan Fontaine, Last Shots, Laurence Olivier, Rebecca, Shekhar Kapur

In my opinion, the last shot of a movie has to be memorable and stick in the mind. I have accumulated a list of my personal favourite shots before the credits begin to roll. This is part 1 of a number of posts I will write.

Be warned they may contain spoilers!!!!

Here they are:

Elizabeth- In Shekhar Kapur’s biopic of the rise of the Virgin Queen , Elizabeth( Cate Blanchett in a career making role) walks into court in the Virgin Queen persona, married to her country having sacrificed personal happiness for the people. This final scene occurs after surviving opposition and assassination attempts to her asceneding to the throne  throughout the film.Her intense and regal gaze as she walks towards the camera and takes a seat upon her throne signifies the metamorphosis from skittish girl to powerful queen, now fully aware of the duties that lie ahead of her.

Rebecca- In Hitchcock’s first venture into American movies, the last shot is both sly and ambiguous. Throughout the film, Joan Fontaine’s character has been tormented by the menacing Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the first wife, the eponymous Rebecca and tried to drive the new wife away from her marriage to Laurence Olivier’s rich widower. The last shot happens after Danvers in a psychotic state burns down the country house and perishes in the process. The last shot is of Rebecca’s bed engulfed in flames. But the sly gesture is that the pillow features the initial R,  hinting at the lingering and remaining presence of her even though Danvers is gone.

Dangerous Liaisons- I know that I’ve already wrote a review on this, but I didn’t want to write about the last scene because i didn’t want to spoil the movie. Anyway, The last shot of the period drama occurs after the vicious Marquise(Glenn Close at her most bitchy) is ousted by society after her treacherous and sordid personal life is revealed in detail. Because she is so good at hiding her inner viciousness, the last scene is very significant. In it she slowly removes her make-up from her face, an obvious reference to the mask of deceit she has worn so well. Glenn Close makes the scene memorable with her subtle nuances of her character, the one tear that falls and the bitter resentment, sadness and anger that is revealed on her face as she realises she is no longer in control and the one pulling the strings. A geniunely chilling end to the film.

Dangerous Liaisons

Tags

1980's, Dangerous Liaisons, Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Keanu Reeves, Michelle Pfeiffer, Period Drama, Romance, Stephen Frears, Uma Thurman

Film Title

Dangerous Liaisons

Director

Stephen Frears

Cast

• Glenn Close as Marquise de Merteuil
• John Malkovich as Vicomte de Valmont
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Madame de Tourvel
• Swoosie Kurtz as Madame de Volanges
• Keanu Reeves as Le Chevalier Raphael Dancerny
• Mildred Natwick as Madame de Rosemonde
• Uma Thurman as Cecile de Volanges

A lavish and enthralling look at lust, betrayal and revenge, Dangerous Liaisons is brought to the screen with an acerbic wit and a dramatic power by director Stephen Frears and an outstanding screenplay by Christopher Hampton. The film succeeds in that it is splendid and breathtaking to look at, but at the same time compelling because of its decadent ,dramatic story and excellent central performances that dominate the proceedings.

The central plot revolves around Marquise de Mertueil, an aristocratic woman in 18th Century France. To the rest of society she is an intelligent and kind woman, but beneath the mask that she wears so well for the outside world is a cunning, vicious woman who delights in the suffering of others for her own personal enjoyment. Her conspirator is the seductive and cynical Viscomte de Valmont who revels in the plans she concocts up. Their latest scheme involves the ruining of an innocent and virginal young girl named Cecile who is soon to be married to one of the Marquise’s former lovers. If Valmont succeeds in this plan, the Marquise will offer him a personal reward. Valmont has other ideas as he has set himself the more difficult task of seducing the virtuous, convent-bred Madame de Tourvel. Things don’t go to plan however when Valmont unintentionally falls for the unsuspecting Madame.

Despite the film being a period piece, its classic themes of power and love still resonate in the present day. The theme of  differences between men and women in society and in general is carefully examined with an acute and critical eye. A strangely sinister tone lingers over the film as a result of the deceit and mendacity displayed on screen.The costumes and sets are second to none and create a clear and  beautiful evocation of pre-revolution France. Frears takes the audience on an enthralling trip through the various hypocrisies of the upper-class and exposing the evil and deceit beneath the facade.But above all, it is the script and acting that lingers longest in the memory after the credits have finished.

As the Marquise, Glenn Close is delightfully conniving and poisonous. Close oozes with a sinister and tart charm, allowing a sharp intellect and viciousness to be shown. It’s a plum role for an actress who never lets me down and Glenn Close is on fire with an imposing and imperious portrayal that ranks among her best. The chemistry between her and Malkovich is electrifying as well as the numerous quick-witted remarks that fly between them. Malkovich brings a slimy and reptilian quality to the suave Valmont and has one of the most sinister smiles on the screen. Yet vulnerability is there with Malkovich as he grows a spine and experiences love for perhaps the first time, leaving his previous plotting in tatters. But in my opinion, the real standout in the film is Michelle Pfeiffer as the victim in the twisted game and embodiment of grace and purity. Playing a character that could have been uninteresting, Pfeiffer turns this round to create a poignant portrayal of a virtuous and god-fearing woman who’s calm and peaceful resolve is shattered forever with the arrival of Valmont into her life. Her face is used for so many important moments in the film and in each she has an emotional intensity that grips like a powerful vice. Throughout the film each character changes somewhat, but the greatest change is Pfeiffer as Madame De Tourvel who has the biggest challenge of whether to stick to her morals or throw caution to the wind. In an early role, a young Uma Thurman portrays the virginal Cecile, another unwitting pawn in the deceitful game who is ruined by Valmont but becomes very carnal as a result of it. Keanu Reeves appears as another pawn in the deceptive game and is unfortunately not really given a lot to do it must be said .

The best scenes in the movie are the ones in which Merteuil and Valmont devise their deliciously,devious plans. The brittle and caustic dialogue seems to just come natural to each as they carefully decide what pain they will inflict on their chosen victim. The two make for a memorably villainous double act who see life as an arena in which their manipulative psychological games are the main entertainment.

A period piece with a surprisingly contemporary and sexy edge to it, Dangerous Liaisons is a splendor for the eyes in terms of visual design, but a handsomely mounted drama and love story that makes you think.